Cotton-pickkb



A. A. ROSS.

COTTON FICKER. APPLICATION FILED MAR.I3, I918- RENEWED FEB- 5. I919.

1,314,096. PatentedAug. 26,1919.

AMOS A. ROSS, 0F HASKELL, OKLAHOMA.

COTTON-PIGKER.

Application filed March 13, 1918. Serial No. 222.136. Renewed February 5. 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AMos A. Ross, a citizen of the United States, residing at Has,- kell, in the county of Muskogee and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Pickers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to manual cotton pickers, and has for its principal object to provide a device of this character which is cheap and inexpensive and one which, when applied to the hand, can be conveniently and effectively used to pick cotton in a more easy and expeditious manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plurality of finger pieces, certain of which are formed with suitable prongs or burs, whereby when the finger pieces are operatively attached to the fingers and thumb of the hand, they can be effectively 'used to pick the cotton bolls from the pods .under varying condltions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plurality of finger pieces, each of which embodies a pair of adjustably connected plates, one of which latter is provided with suitable prongs or burs, the position of said plates being adapted to be interchanged on the ends of the fingers to enable them to be separately used for picking cotton under varying conditions due to the climatic changes in the cotton season.

A still further object of the invention is to provide finger pieces, each embodying a pair of plates which are adjustably and yieldingly connected, whereby they may be quickly and conveniently attached to the ends of the fingers.

With these and other objects in view as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of part-s as will be more fully described hereinafter and afterward specifically claimed.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the cotton picker operatively attached to the hand.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

Serial No. 275.249.

Fig. 2 represents a plan View of the hand strap.

Fig. 3 represents a plan view of one of the finger pieces.

F 4e represents an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on a plane indicated by the line on Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 represents a plan view of the thumb piece, and

Fig. 6 represents a transverse sectional view taken on a plane indicated by the line G-6 on Fig. 5.

In order that the construction and operation of the invention may be readily comprehended by those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, I have illustrated an approved embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings and will now proceed to fully describe the same, in connection with said drawings, in which 1 is a hand strap, one end of which is slightly enlarged in width and provided with a thumb opening 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The opposite end of the strap terminates in a wrist strap 3 which may be either formed integrally with the hand strap 1 or may be made of a separate piece and connected thereto. 4L indicates a buckle attached to the hand strap adjacent one side edge and at a point adjacent to the thumb opening 2. The hand strap is also provided with a pair of slots 5 adjacent the buckle 4.- and are adapted to receive the wrist strap 3 in attaching the hand strap to the hand.

In attaching the strap 1, the thumb is inserted through the opening 9. and the strap extended across the back of the hand under and over the palm in front of the thumb and thence across the back, through the slots 5 and then around the wrist and adjustably connected to the buckle t.

6 is a thumb piece and comprises a plate 7, the forward end of which is somewhat pointed as indicated by the numeral 8. This plate, as shown in Fig. (3, is curved transversely to fit the thumb andis provided adjacent its forward end with prongs 9 which are stamped up from the plate. These prongs may be set at an angle with respect to the plate to enable them to be used in the most eflicient manner. A pair of spaced slots 10 are formed in each side of the plate 7 and have connected therein thumb straps 11. These straps are preferably formed of elastic material, but it is of course to be understood that they may be formed of either metal, leather, or other 'material found most desirable.

An attaching strap 12 has one end secured to the thumb straps 11, while its opposite end is provided with buttonholes 13, where by it may be adjustably connected to the button 14 of the hand strap 1, and thus serve to prevent the thumb piece from being disengaged from the thumb during the picking operation.

Each of the fingers of the hand are provided with finger pieces15, and each comprises transversely curved plates 16 and 17. These plates are pointed at their forward ends and one of them is stamped up to provide burs or prongs 18. In this instance, the plate 16 is provided with a, pair of prongs, while the plate 17 is simply smooth for the following reason. It is a well known fact that it is much more difficult to extract or pick the cotton boll from the pod after a frost than it is before, and for this reason I have provided the differently constructed plates 16 and 17. Just after a frost, when the cotton is diflicult to pluck from the pod, the plate 16 carrying the prongs or burs is utilized, and when it is desired to use the picker before a frost, the plates are interterchanged in position so that the plate 17 can be effectively used in picking the cotton. The plates 17 are each provided adjacent their tip with an aperture 17 whereby they may be attached to the fingers of a glove that may be worn to protect the hand, said connection holding the plates in operative position. v

It is to be further noted that the plates 16 and 17 are connected by a finger strap which is extended through slots 20 in the opposite side edges of the plates 16 and 17. This strap in this instance is formed of elastic material so that the plates may be adjustably positioned on fingers of various sizes. It is, if course, to be miderstood that this finger strap 19 can also be made of metal, leather or other material and if desirable provided with a suitable adjustment, whereby it can be attached securely and readily to the fingers By constructing the finger pieces of plates which are of width substantially equal to that of the fingers and thumb and attaching them thereto by thin straps, it will be I claim as new is apparent that the finger pieces will rest more comfortably on the fingers and will permit of a greater freedom and ease of movement of the fingers than could be had if the finger pieces were made of a metal ferrule or thimble. It is also to benoted that the finger pieces will protect the fingers from injury by the sharp points of the cotton pods while picking the cotton. On cold and frosty mornings, when the cold afiects the fingers thus retarding the picking of cotton in an expeditious manner, these finger pieces will offer a great deal of protection to the fingers and render the picking easier.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying draw that such changes in the construction and arrangement of parts may be made when desired as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what 1. In a manual cotton picker of the class described, a finger piece comprising a pair of transversely curved plates, bursstamped up from one of said plates, and a finger strap for connecting said plates.

2. In a manual cotton picker of the class described, a finger piece comprising a pair of plates, burs stamped up from one of said plates, and an elastic finger strap connecting the opposite side edges of said plates.

8. Ina manual cotton picker of the class described, a finger piece comprising a pair of plates, each having one end pointed and oppositely arranged with respect to each other, burs stamped up from one of said plates adj-acent its pointed end, and a finger strap adjustably connecting said plates, said plates adapted to be reversed and interchanged in operative positionon the end of the finger.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AMOS A. ROSS.

Witnesses J. S. WATTS,

WALTER THEXTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D- G." 

